


Avenger-ful Night In

by Blizzard_Fire



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Movie Night, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner-centric, Comfort, Couch Cuddles, Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzard_Fire/pseuds/Blizzard_Fire
Summary: Bruce found himself dozing as Thor’s thumb gently stroked the back of his neck. There were worse ways to spend Halloween.The doorbell woke him up. Everyone looked at each other. ‘Who could that be?’ asked Steve, eyes narrowed.Tony snorted. ‘Ever heard of trick-or-treaters, Cap? Not everyone’s out to kill us.’The Avengers spend Halloween at Thor and Bruce's cottage. Trick-or-treaters come to visit, and some of their costumes are very familiar...
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92





	Avenger-ful Night In

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween! I wrote something spooky for the Marvel Spooky Scramble but there was a distinct lack of ThorBruce, so I thought I'd put a little something together for the occasion. I'll be watching Venom and eating pumpkin soup tonight as per tradition, hope you all have a spoopy day <3

Halloween is a time of merriment, chaos and general spookiness.

But after battling a horde of giant mechanical lobsters from an alternate dimension, the Avengers decided they’d had enough mayhem for one day and retired to a cottage at the edge of a quiet country village.

More specifically, it was Thor and Bruce's cottage; sometimes Bruce wanted a break from noisy city life, and when Thor had Asgard business to attend to it was easier to Bifrost down into the quiet countryside. And if Bruce was honest, it was nice to just pretend to be a normal couple sometimes. People seldom recognised him out here.

‘Alright!’ Clint marched into the living room with an armful of DVDs. ‘Pick your poison, we’ve got _Attack of the Killer Rhino-Wales, Sharknado 3, Velocipastor, Vampires vs Seagulls with Machine Guns…_

Steve cleared his throat. ‘Well, they all sound… interesting. Why don’t you surprise us?’

Natasha stood by the windowsill, admiring Bruce's collection of plants. ‘How do you keep them watered when you’re not here?’

Bruce looked up from the couch. The gruelling battle as Hulk had left him pale and shaky, and he was currently wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled up against Thor. ‘Succulents don’t need watering too often,’ he said hesitantly.

Thor added, ‘I have imbued the house with some magic of my own. I am also a fertility god, after all.’ He pressed a kiss to Bruce's temple, and Bruce felt himself blushing in response.

‘Gross.’ Tony had bagged the armchair by the fire. He was bruised up from being bashed around inside the suit, but seemed his usual self. ‘Just pick one, bird brain. As long as it doesn’t suck.’

‘Oh, they all suck,’ Clint assured him cheerfully. ‘That’s the point.’

Bruce closed his eyes as Thor ruffled his curls before kissing the top of his head. The evenings after Hulk-outs used to be miserable affairs. He was always tired, grouchy and fragile, and craved physical touch even though he couldn’t request that from his fellow team members. But now he had Thor, who understood what he needed during these times and was more than happy to shower him with affection. It was a little weirder with the others around, but he was too comfortable and sleepy to care.

Clint had been careful with his choice of movies. The last time they tried to watch a horror film – a proper, realistic one – they’d had to turn it off halfway through. Bruce had hated the screaming and the jumpscares, Clint was wigged out by the demonic possession, Tony couldn’t take the torture scene and Thor had gotten upset when the protagonist’s brother died (Loki had returned from his latest “death”, but still). After taking into account their different flavours of PTSD, Clint had decided that deliberately-bad or old Halloween movies were the way to go. And he was right; they could all laugh at the OTT deaths and bad special effects. Bruce found himself dozing as Thor’s thumb gently stroked the back of his neck. There were worse ways to spend Halloween.

The doorbell woke him up. Everyone looked at each other. ‘Who could that be?’ asked Steve, eyes narrowed.

Tony snorted. ‘Ever heard of trick-or-treaters, Cap? Not everyone’s out to kill us.’

‘Oh. Right.’ He relaxed.

Natasha smiled. ‘I’ll go.’

‘There’s candy by the door,’ Bruce called after her. He’d bought some a while ago, just in case.

Clint paused the movie. Bruce looked over to see a little girl in a Captain America costume, complete with a cardboard shield. ‘Hey Steve,’ Natasha said, ‘someone to see you.’

Steve came over, puzzled, then broke into a grin. ‘Woah, is that Captain America? It’s so cool to meet you!’

Steve could be the stoic captain when he needed to, but he was always good with kids. Bruce wasn’t sure the little girl recognised who Steve was, but she was still smiling as she waved goodbye and skipped away holding her mother’s hand.

‘That was adorable,’ said Natasha as he sat back down.

‘Lame,’ said Tony. ‘Should have worn an Iron Man costume.’ But he was grinning too.

They’d only been watching the movie for a further five minutes when the doorbell rang again. This time Clint got up. ‘Hey, Happy Halloween! Oh – oh really?’ There was a long silence.

Bruce looked over to see Clint having a rapid conversation in ASL with a young teenage boy in a Batman costume. Judging by his delighted expression, this was probably the only time he’d been greeted by someone who could properly converse with him.

They resumed the movie, working through the “spare” candy that Tony had found under the sink (Bruce had hidden it in case Thor ate the trick-or-treater candy, but they still had plenty left). Whilst everyone was distracted, Bruce sat up a little straighter and kissed him softly. Thor sighed, a hand wending under the blanket to curl around his waist…

The doorbell rang again.

‘Not it,’ said Clint.

Tony rolled his eyes and answered it. ‘Now _that_ is a proper costume. Who’s your favourite Avenger? If you say Cap, you’re not getting any candy.’

The Iron Man child outside the door shrugged and held up a plastic bow and arrow. ‘They didn’t sell a Hawkeye costume.’

Clint laughed so much he could hardly stand up, and leaned against Tony as the kid took some candy. ‘Oh, that’s made my whole night. Hey Nat, we’ve got more customers coming. You need to take this one.’

Sure enough, a gaggle of teenage girls approached. They were dressed a little scantily for the October weather, but the one with dyed red hair and a low-cut leather jacket was clearly Black Widow.

There was a chorus of shrieks and giggles as Natasha came to the door. Bruce smiled. Even out here, it seemed the Avengers were appreciated. He was used to seeing only the negative headlines, so it was touching to see that they could also be role models for people to look up to.

After a procession of dinosaurs, mummies and obscure TV characters, Thor was eventually summoned to greet a boy in a Thor costume. Bruce instantly felt colder without his Asgardian hot water bottle, and fidgeted on the couch until Thor returned. At least he felt a little better than he had earlier.

They finished the movie despite so many interruptions, and then everyone started making noises about going to bed. There were a couple of guestrooms and plenty of couches, so Bruce figured there’d be plenty of room.

Then there was a final knock at the door. Bruce sighed. ‘I’ll get it,’ he said, because he hadn’t actually answered the door yet tonight.

A teenage girl stood a little way back from the doorway, arms folded. And in front of her was presumably her younger sibling, dressed as a tiny Hulk.

For a moment Bruce could only stare in disbelief. Then he crouched down. ‘I like your costume.’

‘Raargh! I’m a Gulk!’ the child brandished a pair of plastic fists.

Bruce grinned, and deep inside he felt Hulk stir in response, utterly delighted. ‘Really scary,’ he said seriously. ‘I hope you haven’t smashed any houses on your way here?’

‘Haha, nope.’ He tried to adjust the leering Hulk mask, and only managed to hit himself with an oversized fist.

The girl sighed loudly. ‘It’s the _Hulk_ , Timmy, not the Gulk.’ She looked to Bruce. ‘He’s obsessed with him.’

The boy took off a fist and put it in his trick-or-treat bag so he could take some candy from Bruce.

Bruce straightened up. The girl was also in costume: her dark hair was styled in a bun, and she wore a pair of lens-less glasses and a white lab coat. ‘Who are you dressed as?’ he asked.

She sighed again, with the air of someone who’d been asked many times before. ‘You wouldn’t get it.’ She showed him the homemade lanyard hanging from her neck. ‘I’m Bruce Banner.’

Bruce hid a smile behind his hand. ‘Well, it’s a very good costume.’

‘Yeah. Thanks. Last year I went as J.J. Thomson, the scientist who discovered electrons, but no one got that either. We don’t celebrate scientists enough. Everyone goes on about Iron Man and Captain America, but Bruce Banner is definitely the coolest Avenger. He doesn’t even need superpowers, he’s smart enough to beat them anyway.’ She finally looked up at him properly, backlit from the light of the cottage. And her eyes widened.

Bruce offered the bucket to her. ‘Do you want a candy?’ he asked shyly.

Her mouth dropped open. ‘Oh my god… oh my _god.’_ She covered her face with her hands. ‘I’m so embarrassed…’

‘Please don’t be. I’m really flattered.’ He took out a candy bar and handed it to Timmy. ‘One for your sister,’ he said with a smile.

Timmy nodded and toddled back towards her. She was still covering her eyes.

A shadow appeared beside Bruce's. ‘That is a fearsome Hulk!’ said Thor, an arm wrapping around Bruce's shoulders. ‘Even scarier than the real thing!’

The girl looked up and laughed. ‘Okay, I’m running away before I embarrass myself even more. It was nice to Halloween you – I mean, um, never mind.’

As they hurried off into the dark, Thor kissed his cheek. ‘It’s nice to be appreciated,’ said Bruce. He could still feel Hulk rejoicing.

‘As well they should.’ Thor draped the blanket over Bruce’s shoulders and shut the door. ‘Now that our friends have retired to bed, perhaps I could “appreciate” you in private?’ he murmured.

Bruce smirked and pulled the blanket over his head so that he looked like a ghost. ‘You always _lift my spirits_.’

Thor groaned and picked him up, blanket and all. ‘Boooo.’

**Author's Note:**

> Just realised this is my 40th MCU fic. A year and a half on and still happily writing about these two dorks in love :')


End file.
